If you want to talk about the past, this Lining County was just an ordinary one among hundreds of counties in the Central Plains. The temperature was neither cold nor hot, the livability was neither high nor low, the public security was good or bad, and the income and expenditure were neither rich nor poor. What is worth mentioning is that there was an amazing guy here.
A great man whose martial arts skills are second to none in the world, and his fellow martial artists are incomparable. He is a true co-master of the martial arts world. He lived for more than sixty years. In the first half of his life, he dominated the world with his unparalleled martial arts. In the second half of his life, he resolutely led the world's martial arts practitioners to join forces to fight against the enemy. He can be said to be a true "great chivalrous man".
Later generations, in order to commemorate him, designated Lining County, where his ancestral home was, as the venue for all previous "Martial Arts Conferences". Although times have changed since then, the martial arts conferences and Young Heroes Conferences have been held elsewhere many times, but in the In the hearts of Zhongyuan martial artists, this place is still a place worthy of pilgrimage. Aiwu, Wulian and the martial arts leaders elected in "Lining County" all seem to be born with a halo.
From this, ordinary people may draw the conclusion that Lining County can be regarded as the "hometown of martial arts" in the Central Plains.
However, the fact is incredible - instead of saying that this place is the hometown of martial arts, it is better to say it is the "hometown of gambling."
Perhaps at first glance, these are two things that are impossible to fight, but if you think about it carefully, it seems to be reasonable.
Whether it is the Young Heroes Association or the martial arts competition, in the final analysis, they are all activities similar to competitions. Since there is a "competition", there will be many accidents. If there are accidents, it means that there are some unique insights. people found business opportunities from it.
What is this so-called business opportunity? It's the "handicap".
This incident can be roughly traced back to the establishment of the most special of the nine sects, the "Nightless Villa". At that time, although the Central Plains Wulin was still headed by Changfeng Academy, Xumi Temple and the Fuyao Sect, there were no Nine Sects yet. To put it this way, it can be said that under the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, there is a situation where a hundred flowers are blooming.
Among them, there is such an inconspicuous sect called Laizhou Sword Sect. As soon as you hear it, you will know that this is a sect that focuses on swordsmanship. It is slightly famous in the world, but it is only at the end of the second rate and among the third rate. head. There is also an inconspicuous little character in the Laizhou Sword Sect named Huangfu Yu. Although his surname is very rare, his abilities are ordinary. Although he is one of the best disciples in the Laizhou Sword Sect, but looking at the vast world, It's really like "no such person can be found".
Of course, this is nothing. You must know that even the leader of the Laizhou Sword Sect may not be as famous as the middle-ranking disciples among the three religions in terms of kung fu and reputation. In the "audience gallery" of the martial arts conference, he has the status of a bench, let alone as a My disciple, Huangfu Yu, was there just to watch the fun. There were a lot of people at his level. If you are good at playing, you can stand. If you don’t feel embarrassed, you can squat behind your leader. .
Huangfu Yu's martial arts skills are mediocre and unknown, so he is naturally not qualified to enter the arena of the Young Heroes Association. He cannot even think about competing with a group of powerful men for the leadership of the martial arts alliance. However, his heart is as high as the sky and his thinking is too high. Extraordinarily active, such a person would certainly not be able to stay idle, so he would have other plans in his mind.
What is this abacus? To put it simply, it is to make money.
Most of the people who come to participate in the martial arts conference, whether they are sects or individuals, do so voluntarily rather than by invitation. Since it is voluntary, you have to pay for your food and accommodation, because even if you want to find someone to reimburse you, you will not be taken advantage of. . The Laizhou Sword Sect was originally a small sect that came to watch the excitement. Their original intention was to take advantage of the martial arts conference to establish friendship with other sects and the new martial arts leader. Of course, they paid for all food, accommodation, transportation and miscellaneous expenses themselves.
The head of the Laizhou Sword Sect is relatively greedy and vain. Whenever he meets a famous master in the world, he has to pretend to be fat and treat people to dinner and drinks. But the problem is that the Laizhou Sword Sect doesn't have that much extra money. If your master invites others to drink once, then the disciples will have to drink northwest wind all night. The situation was also tight, and in the end Huangfu Yu and several disciples had to think of a way to make money.
what is it then?
Bet on the opening market.
Because based on the conditions and financial resources of various sects at that time, it was impossible to build several high-rise buildings and set up a venue for every martial arts conference, so Linning County was designated as a "fixed" place. And this venue is also relatively simple. Except for the three sects and other wealthy sects who will pay for repairs from time to time out of dignity, it is basically a public attraction and is almost like a tourist area.
What is there in the tourist area? It's nothing more than a variety of messy services. The people of Linning County originally respected and feared these people who wielded swords and swords, but after slowly accepting this place as a regular venue for martial arts events, some people began to build inns, wine shops, and restaurants on a large scale in the surrounding area. Weapon shops, medicine shops and other shops - you are a human being in the martial arts world and you have to eat and drink. If your weapon is broken during the competition, there will be a blacksmith to give you another one. If your hands and feet are broken during the competition, there will be a doctor. Reconnect it for you... These stores basically adhere to the principle of "not open for five years, open for five years." And in addition to these shops that provide convenience for martial arts people, there are many residential houses here. Although most ordinary people can't see with their own eyes the bloody and lively fighting inside, they can take a look at the walls or Listening to the excitement afterwards is also a pleasure enough to pass the time for a long time.
Huangfu Yu took this opportunity to start his business thoroughly.
Although the Young Heroes Club is already halfway through, it happens to be the busiest mid-game stage right now. Don’t everyone want to watch the fun? During the day, Huangfuyu would sit in the venue with his neck raised to watch the competition inside. At night, he would retell the day's battle situation to the outside audience as if telling a story, and then strike while the iron is hot - there would be all kinds of heroes who are going to take the stage tomorrow. The young man introduced his sect, martial arts, age, deeds, etc. in a chattering manner, then threw the coins and broken silver onto the plate with the person's name on it, bought it, and left.
Can this be done? It really can work.
First of all, the word "play" is engraved deep in the hearts of the majority of people. Whenever people have some spare money or free time, they must have a way to relax. This "one-stop" created by Huangfu Yu is a good way to do this. This satisfied the entertainment mentality of the spectators in Lining County; secondly, the "target group" Huangfu Yu chose was not the martial arts people in the venue, but ordinary people. If there are those who are dissatisfied with making trouble, his martial arts skills can be regarded as useless. It doesn't matter if you can't defeat the people in the world. Isn't it easy to deal with these crops? Finally, as a banker who places bets, he pays attention to fairness. He has agreed in advance that no matter which side of the bet the gambler wins, he will take 10% of the profit, which is regarded as a reward for being the banker.
Of course, there will inevitably be some resistance to this matter. The business in the first two days was very bleak. What is the reason? It all depends on the timing Huangfuyu chose.
Because he chose to "broadcast the battle situation" at night and took this opportunity to open tomorrow's handicap. However, no matter how excellent his eloquence was, many people in the world had already spread the results of today's victory and defeat as soon as they entered the door. So basically no one here listens to his eloquent words. Winners are eager to take away their money. Who among losers is willing to hear how they lost? But if we don’t use these means to mobilize the enthusiasm of gamblers to participate, we will still be dead end.
As a result, Huangfu Yu immediately changed his strategy. He arranged for his fellow disciples to watch the competition between various heroes in the venue, while he waited outside. As long as the outcome of the game was determined, he didn't care about the people inside. Is this how the fight was going to be? He just made up a fancy story based on a set of words he had prepared in advance. As long as the outcome was not messed up by others, it would be fine.
From "post-game commentary" to "live broadcast", Huangfu Yu's small casino business really made him struggle. Not to mention making a lot of money, at least he could feed a few of his senior brothers. Great stay.
But how could someone like Huangfu Yu let go of such an opportunity? Although this martial arts tournament is not over yet, his vision has transcended time and seen five or even ten years from now. After the Laizhou Sword Sect's numerous disciples, Huangfu Yu immediately began to observe the potential of the next five years. The seedlings have thoroughly investigated their personal information, and the only difference is whether they have the habit of stepping in with the left foot first or the right foot first.
When the Young Heroes Association was approaching, Huangfu Yu even persuaded the head of the Laizhou Sword Sect and several top disciples to pool a sum of money and open a small casino in Lining County. This time he not only All the experiences and lessons from five years ago were learned, and not only did the local government run well, but also innovative new disciples were arranged to work as "caregivers" for the casino.
After the death of the old leader, the position of the new leader of the Laizhou Sword Sect naturally fell to Huangfu Yu, and even his fellow sect members with much higher martial arts skills and qualifications than him unanimously agreed.
Why is this?
Because the reasons for most people to practice martial arts are very simple. The first is to make a living, and the second is to defend themselves. Acting chivalrously and righteously must also be based on a full stomach. Your martial arts skills are great, but your subordinates can’t even eat. Huangfu Yu’s martial arts skills are mediocre, but you can drink a bowlful of soy milk with him. You can only eat the candy in sugar cakes. Isn’t it obvious who to choose as the leader? ?
Then, the Laizhou Sword Sect disbanded. In other words, it exists in name only, because Huangfu Yu discovered a big problem - most people who have studied martial arts for a lifetime can only reach a second- or third-rate level, but I have been running a martial arts business in Lining County for five years. The casino has already hired a first-class master to be my bodyguard for ten years, so why should I be the head of the Laizhou Sword Sect?
The Laizhou Sword Sect is not a deep-rooted sect to begin with, so its disciples do not have a deep sense of belonging to the name of this sect. After listening to Huangfu Yu's theory, they were persuaded by him to stay with him. At Linning Casino.
Huangfu Yu never thought that after practicing martial arts for more than 20 years, he might as well give up martial arts and become a businessman. If opening a casino can be considered a businessman, he would become famous from this. Due to the "halo effect" of celebrities, many people followed Huangfu Yu's footsteps, and casinos of all sizes sprang up in Lining County and even Dongshan Prefecture, the county seat.
From an unknown member of the Laizhou Sword Sect to the world's most powerful "gambling king", Huangfu Yu's life was more than just a "legend"? Perhaps what he did was far less great than that of the martial arts leader back then, and he couldn't be called a "chivalrous" person, but at least in terms of legend, his limelight had far surpassed that martial arts leader.
When people at that time and even later generations talked about Huangfu Yu's life, some said it was the decline of the world, and some said that people today value interests more than chivalry...
It is difficult to say clearly what the reason is, whether it is right or wrong, and it cannot be summed up in one word.
As for what happened after Huangfu Yu's death, it is no less interesting than what happened during his lifetime. His disciples eventually divided into two factions. One faction continued to run Grandmaster's casino business based on Lining County, while Huangfu Yu's However, his own son led another faction to join the martial arts again. In the end, Huangfu Yu's eldest grandson, Huangfu Mingyue, established the "Nightless Villa", one of the nine later sects.
Maybe it is true that the blood of the Huangfu family is business. The prosperity of Evernight Villa was precisely because it caught up with the wave of business emphasis of the two generations of emperors in the Sheng Kingdom. Since then, the nine major sects have been completely established. pattern.
In Lining County today, the "Laizhou Gambling House" left by Huangfu Yu is still full of people.
"Ha! I got 90,000 yuan! What a fool!" In front of a square mahjong table, He Nanzheng burst into laughter. He patted the table and motioned to the three unlucky guys sitting at the same table to pay.
